AGR-Lite: Insuring Small- to Medium-Sized Operations

By CnAgri2012-08-31 06:52:08 Print

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will offer a webinar on Sept.r 6, to explain crop-insurance options such as Adjusted Gross Revenue Lite (AGR-Lite) -- a unique, federally subsidized crop-insurance product that holds great promise to serve the needs of small- to medium-sized diverse, specialty crop, organic, and direct-market farmers.

At the end of a summer of record-breaking heat, severe drought, and even flooding, farmers may be wondering how to better protect their farms. The webinar, "Understanding Crop Insurance Options for Small- to Medium-Scale Diversified Farms," will explain how AGR-Lite works and provide a brief overview of crop-insurance limitations for highly diverse farms; it also will demonstrate NCAT's new AGR-Lite Wizard assessment tool. This tool assists farmers and agricultural professionals in evaluating the usefulness of whole-farm revenue insurance.

While most insurance products are tied to a specific crop or commodity, AGR-Lite is based on whole-farm revenue and allows farmers who grow several specialty crops, or diverse crops and livestock products, to insure their production based on their historic revenue.

In addition to AGR-Lite, the webinar will also provide an overview of the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and individual specialty crop policies. AGR-Lite is not available in Iowa, although it is available in most other Midwestern states. NAP and individual specialty crop policies are available in all states.

The webinar will feature regionally appropriate examples from the Midwest, although it will be beneficial for anyone interested in AGR-Lite and other insurance options.

There will be ample time for attendees to ask questions. The webinar is funded by the USDA Risk Management Agency.

NCAT Agricultural Economist Jeff Schahczenski will be the webinar presenter.

The webinar starts at noon Eastern Standard Time. To register, go to https://attra.ncat.org/understandcropinsurance.